What We Believe

As a congregation, Epiphany is a part of the ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America). This means that we are a Christian church in the Lutheran tradition and a “community of faith that shares a passion for making positive changes in the world. Our faith is built around a strong belief in God as made known to us in Jesus Christ. Through worship, service, and education, we practice our faith, grow our relationship with God, and experience God’s grace in our lives.” Epiphany’s core beliefs are described below.

The Holy Trinity

As Lutheran Christians we confess there is one God, who has and continues to create, love, and redeem us. God is three distinct persons in the same being, equally powerful, equally good, and equally eternal. We worship God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, because God is worthy of our praise. As the church we are called into mission with God for the sake of the world. We are the Body of Christ made alive and set free by Jesus Christ to be in relationship to our neighbors as God is in relationship to us. It’s in these relationships that we try to emulate the eternal goodness of God, trusting that God is present in whatever we do as the church, and that we are all being pulled into the same promised future by God’s grace.

Our pastors know that talking about the Trinity can be a difficult and confusing thing, but they want you to know that’s normal, which is why they made this video. Our hope is that you’ll take the time to engage your faith in God, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Just because you may not have all the right words to say doesn’t mean you shouldn’t fully open yourself up to the inspiring and exciting Good News that heals and redeems.

God

We believe that there is one God who exists eternally in three persons (The Trinity): Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We teach that God is the maker of all things, sustains all of creation, and promises to redeem creation from sin by his gracious will.

Jesus

We believe that Jesus is the second person of the Trinity. We confess Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. He is the Word of God incarnate, through whom everything was made and through whose life, death, and resurrection God fashions a new creation. Jesus is truly human and truly God. He was born of the Virgin Mary and suffered and died on the cross. We believe that he was resurrected from the dead to new life by the power of God so that we might receive forgiveness of sin.

Holy Spirit

We believe that the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity, is alive and active in our individual lives, the life of the church and the world around us! The Holy Spirit enables us to know Jesus as Lord and Savior, gathers us as a congregation, calls us to live life as members of God’s family, and daily renews our faith.

Bible

We believe that the Holy Scriptures consist of the Old and New Testaments as the inspired Word of God and the authoritative source and standard of worship, teaching, faith, and life.

The Church

We believe that Jesus Christ is the head of the church. By the power of the Holy Spirit, believers are gathered into congregations for worship and service to our neighbors. We exist as a fellowship of believers who are sent to bear witness to God’s creative, redeeming, and sanctifying activity in the world.

Discipleship

We believe that all members of God’s church are called to a life of discipleship. This means that we expect to learn and grow throughout our lifetimes as we strive to answer Jesus’ call to, “Follow me.”

What Lutherans Believe

As Lutheran Christians, we confess the faith of the church through the lens of Martin Luther’s (1483 – 1546) teachings. His primary concerns were to teach that we are saved by God’s grace alone outside of anything we do. Our salvation is through faith which is a confident trust in God, who in Christ promises us forgiveness, life and salvation; and that the Bible is the norm for faith and life. It is the true standard by which teachings and doctrines are to be judged.

Visit www.elca.org (Evengelical Lutheran Church in America) to learn more.